Title

Author

Date of Award

1985

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Marine Affairs

Abstract

Increased experience in fisheries cooperatives of developing countries has called into question a long-held presumption about their desirability and feasibility. In this context, this study attempts to reformulate the cooperative approach for small-scale fisheries in a realistic policy framework. First, past failures of fisheries cooperatives are analyzed from three different angles: the uniqueness of the fishing industry, systems intrinsic to the cooperative, and development policy. Second, various possibilities of building viable cooperatives are explored by introducing two key concnpets: the strategic option and the operational option. On the one hand, the strategic option implies that it is imperative to integrate cooperative policy with overall fisheries development strategies in each country. With this regard, seven schematic fisheries development models are derived from agricultural as well as fisheries development experiences. On the other hand, the operational option indicates the range of policy choices with which to identify the most suitable cooperative format to locality-specific conditions. The author suggests that fisheries cooperatives in developing countries be restructured free from obsession with ready-made cooperative models. Finally, emphasis is placed on the need for inter-disciplinary and international cooperation to broaden the scope of fisheries cooperative studies in the future.